259 replies to this topic

[Exactobeast]

Japanese name of Ultragas is fairly stupendous.  Let's all agree on that.

 

This was also the leader of my good guys as a child.  How that happened, I have no idea.

[Robeast]

I just joined this site a few days ago and I love reading these too. Not only do I learn more about the Battle Beasts line, individually and in great detail, but I'm also learning more about the animal kingdom every time I read one of these posts. 

 

At this point in time, I have eight Battle Beasts. I collect them 'on the cheap' as much as possible; no rubs, and I only have one with a weapon. The only one I had as a kid was Rubberneck Giraffe and possibly one other one, as they were sold two figures per package.

 

Thanks for these write-ups, Jabroniville! I especially enjoy reading them leisurely, checking out the ones I own or have interest in for now. 

 

The only thing I would even consider doing differently with the write-ups (if I may say so) is including their relevance in the Transformers Headmasters episode 5. For example: Colonel Bird initiates the attack on the Decepticons stronghold by swooping in and bombing it; Rubberneck Giraffe fires his weapon but is ambushed from the moat by Triple-Threat Snake.

Then again, this idea might have 'diluted' the posts a little, so I understand why you didn't include them.

 

Keep up the great work!

[Bratwurst]

Just curious if anyone's still reading these. The BB section of this forum is rather quiet these days, lol . I still have a few more to post, and a handful more to write up. I'll probably eventually finish the main 76.

 

I come to this forum pretty much to catch up on this single thread.

[Jabroniville]

I just joined this site a few days ago and I love reading these too. Not only do I learn more about the Battle Beasts line, individually and in great detail, but I'm also learning more about the animal kingdom every time I read one of these posts. 

 

At this point in time, I have eight Battle Beasts. I collect them 'on the cheap' as much as possible; no rubs, and I only have one with a weapon. The only one I had as a kid was Rubberneck Giraffe and possibly one other one, as they were sold two figures per package.

 

Thanks for these write-ups, Jabroniville! I especially enjoy reading them leisurely, checking out the ones I own or have interest in for now. 

 

The only thing I would even consider doing differently with the write-ups (if I may say so) is including their relevance in the Transformers Headmasters episode 5. For example: Colonel Bird initiates the attack on the Decepticons stronghold by swooping in and bombing it; Rubberneck Giraffe fires his weapon but is ambushed from the moat by Triple-Threat Snake.

Then again, this idea might have 'diluted' the posts a little, so I understand why you didn't include them.

 

Keep up the great work!

Thanks for the kind words!

Unfortunately, I've never seen that Headmasters episode, so couldn't comment on it much. I would have lost my mind seeing it as a kid, though.

[Jabroniville]

I come to this forum pretty much to catch up on this single thread.

Yay! Thanks . 

[Jabroniville]

 

#1: PIRATE LION

Japanese Name: White Leo

Animal Basis:
 

 

Lions mastering cavalry. Now I've seen everything.

 

There are only two varieties of lion known today, and they're pretty much the same- the Asiatic variety only lives in the Gir forest of India, while the African Lion is by far the most common. Lions are known as the "Kings of the Jungle"... rven though they live on grasslands and savannah. And generally just lay around all day. Seriously, these guys are BORING to watch when you see them in zoos. Their hunts are spectacular though, as the females stalk the weakest members of HUGE herds, split off into groups, then run one down (often with a series of other, hidden Lionesses taking up the chase). And they stand as the premier carnivore of Africa, with only the Nile Crocodile coming close. They eat the young of any other predators they see (they don't even EAT dead Hyenas), and nobody else messes with them, unless it's in mass numbers. They're also prone to bogarting the kills of anyone else, so they're kind of the dicks of the Animal Kingdom.

 

-Females are much smaller and weaker than males, despite their role as the hunters of the Pride. The key is their smaller size and lack of manes aid them in stealth, allowing them to capture prey more easily, and they're faster as well. 

 

-The males of Lion society don't do much work (a common hack animal trainer will joke, "The men do nothing, and the women do all the work- just like real life, huh?"), yet have a very important job- they're expected to see off any intruding males, which will save the females' cubs from a gruesome death (an invader will kill all the rival's cubs to ensure the females reach estrus sooner, much like other harem-based mammals), as well as fight off dangerous Hyenas and other creatures that threaten the Pride. The women are hunters; the men are defenders. Despite their laziness, a male Lion is over 200 lbs. heavier than the female, and size matters in the animal kingdom a whole hell of a lot.

 

-Males without a harem of females are loners, or gather together with their brothers, all exiled from their father's pride once they hit a certain age. Their size, slowness and manes make them far less efficient hunters, but with only one mouth to feed, and the power to take almost anything they can catch, they tend to do alright. Still, it's a hard life being a male lion- two or three years tops of being a King, getting all the ladies you can take, and the entirety of your life before and after are spent alone, before or past your prime.

 

-There's a great story in We Bought a Zoo (the book; never seen the movie) where the guy is talking about the male lion they had. The dude's working on a tree just outside the enclosure (a few feet from the fence), then turns around and the big male is practically RIGHT BEHIND HIM, edged up against the fence. He's amazed that this 500-lb. animal literally managed to sneak up within a few feet of him without alerting the guy to his presence. Then he sees from the lion's body movement that he's about to "charge". Now, he's seen the lion charge workers before- and no matter what's between them (usually a big, impenetrable fence), the workers ALWAYS lurch backwards and fall on their ass. EVERY TIME. So the guy is like "nah, I know what's coming- I won't fall backwards". So sure enough, the lion charges, and he's like "OH SH**!" and immediately lands on his ass! Stuff just completely overtook him and it was fight or flight time! And he KNEW... KNEW FOR A FACT... that there was no way this lion was actually going to get him. These things are INTIMIDATING. The size, mane and roar cut an impressive figure.

 

Toy Description: Pirate Lion is of course the defining character of the Battle Beasts line- the guy with the "#1" on him, and the leader of the good guys in the fiction. He appears prominently on most of the packaging, and got the ultra-rare "Sunburst" rubsign in limited release. Thankfully, many things separate this character from the herd, preventing him from looking a bit too boring & typical for an "early release" figure, or the "Generic Guy" of the line. A big thing is the eyepatch- a very little feature, but just definitive enough to make him stand out. His mane breaks up the "three-color" trend in many early Beasts, and adds some more interesting variance in his appearance, since it's a much lighter orange than his Secondary Color. The great contrast between his white skin and blue armor is eye-catching as well. The figure is also relatively broad and typically-built, avoiding being too imbalanced or skinny. Even his silhouette stands out a bit, thanks to his spiked shoulder pads and armor that's a combination of blocky and rounded.

 

His big, semi-traditional looking sword is the most well-known weapon in the line- they sold it as a scaled-up children's toy by itself! I even saw the exact same toy in a Zellers toy store about 12-15 years ago! The trademark info is on the backs of his boots, but I can't see any letters anywhere.

 

Colors: Four- his skin is bright white, and his mane is a light orange. His armor is blue, and his Secondary Color is a very dark orange.

Armor: A detailed, but simple, classic two-piece. His Chest Symbol is central, with two large orange "vents" beside it- some light detail work (lines; some triangles in relief) surround that, in addition to two raised bits on his shoulders. The back of his armor is quite rounded (instead of the boxy look of most guys), with only a few rectangular shapes drawn in. His codpiece is only a little more detailed, with a lot of little rectangles and lines drawn in- a very large trapezoidal shape in dark orange is right on the crotch.

-Pirate Lion's shoulder pads are very distinct, and give him a strong silhouette- they're very rounded (and separated from the chest armor- you can see white skin betwen them!), ending in pylon-shaped spikes with circles on top of them. His wristguards have some more linear details, in addition to a blunted "claw" that overhangs the hand by a bit. His boots are quite blocky, but with very large, plain kneepads.

Weapon: A very simple, large sword. A bit traditional in appearance (unusual for this line, really), but with many angular features, such as a spiked guard & pommel- the hilt points upwards, with two smaller spikes facing diagonally downwards. The edge of the sword actually angles out a bit weird, as it looks normal on one side, while the other "juts out" a bit. The whole thing ends with a tiny ballpoint shape at the tip of the blade.

Hands & Feet: Three-fingered hands, and four-toed feet with nails.

Easily-Broken Bits: None. The light mane and the thin eyepatch usually get a lot of weathering.

Had it as a Kid: Yep- THREE of them, in fact! My original two got a ton of weathering and lost their arms, but my third ended up pristine as hell, and is one of my best-looking figures even to this day! I named this guy the leader of the "Bad Guys", and classified the other two Lions as his subordinates/advisors- the headcanon went that they were both former leaders, but he'd defeated them in combat, and now they were loyal to him.

Variants: None. Unless you count the "Sunburst Lion" with the different rubsign. This is extremely rare, but dishonest people started popping up with "Sunbursts" on eBay, since the Lion itself is one of the most common figures there is.

 

Overall Score: 9.5/10 (one of the best overall figures, and a true classic in the line)

 

 

[Jabroniville]

 

#53: PANZER PANDA

Japanese Name: Strong Panda

Animal Basis:

 

 

-The Giant Panda is one of the most enigmatic animals on Earth, and is famous as a symbol of conservation and rarity. Initially discovered by white people only a little over a century ago (it's one of the last major fauna ever found- along with the Okapi, the Megamouth Shark and the Gorilla), it's incredibly rare, and seems to WANT to die: They consume almost entirely bamboo, which is a rare, low-protein diet that is very unfulfilling for such a large animal. They're extremely hard to breed in captivity (and likely so in the wild as well), to the point where entire science teams must work on them round the clock to ensure they hump each other properly, and make tiny pink mini-Pandas. Yet despite all this, they're one of the planet's most beloved creatures, and such a major selling-point for a zoo that despite costing literally hundreds of millions of dollars to keep, ANY ZOO would give its eye-teeth for a pair of them, because the sheer amount of ticket sales more than make up for it. 

 

-And they finally figured out it's authentically a BEAR, after debating about this for decades. Pandas are the weakest of the Bears, but aren't to be underestimated. Despite their cuddly exteriors, they are MUCH stronger than people, and heavy enough to really throw their weight around. Many people have been badly-hurt in zoos after straying too close to an animal that can do a lot of damage with their claws and teeth- remember, they're designed to cut down BAMBOO shoots.

 

Toy Description: Panzer Panda is one of the biggest stand-outs in the line, and so unique that you might not even suspect him to be a Battle Beast at first. Really, almost nothing on this guy makes "sense" with the rest of the line- he's got a similar armor set-up to most, but his color scheme is all over the place. The main color of his armor matches that of his head, midsection, hands and feet! You never see that in any other guy in the line!

 

He's a well-detailed figure, too- you can count on one hand the number of guys that have this much detail put on their faces, as not only are his ears colored separately, but he has actual black patches over his eyes. Compare him to the Bovine, who has barely-visible patches. This guy's nose, arms and legs are also pure black on a white figure, standing out quite dramatically thanks to his white arm & leg-bands, plus the white hands and feet. He's basically a big piece of white plastic with some black painted on.

 

His copywrite info, peg-hole and a "53B" are located on his feet. Because of his late position in the line, and general details, he's one of the rarest, hardest-to-find figures you're likely to find among the "regulars".

 

Colors: Three- his skin is pure white, while his arms and legs are black. So are his ears, eyepatches and nose. He has a single red "panel" on the front section of his armor, as well as red eyes.

Armor: A pretty generic set, with a two-piece armor. The main thing is the color scheme. His boots are pretty rectangular, with "+" symbols on the knees. His codpiece is small, but has two squares sticking out at the crotch, as well as a raised "rim" along the entire structure. His wristguards are banded, but rather square in shape. His shoulder pads are very rounded, also sporting raised bands, as well as large circles by the joint. The torso is covered by a simple, blocky, under-detailed bit of armor, save for the fact that the front panel is red. The Chest Symbol is on the left breast, while a smaller, near-square rectangle matches it on the other side. A raised, rounded bit is in the middle.

Weapon: Very nice, much like the other "light grey weapon" guys- it's a large, mechanical-looking scimitar. It's largely flat on the blade portion, but has a raised "circuit" bit sticking out of the hilt, which is very blocky, complete with another circuit-like structure in the finger guard. There's a small "mould circle" near the tip of the inner edge.

Hands & Feet: Mitten-like hands, and four-toed feet with large fifth toes in the rear (quite unlike any actual bear).

Easily-Broken Bits: None. I haven't even seen too much yellowing of his entirely-white body, though it's probably happened elsewhere. You'd think there'd be more paint wear on the black parts, too, but mine looks practically brand-new.

Had it as a Kid: Nope- of all the Beasts, this one, the Penguin and the Zebra look the strangest and most "is that really a Battle Beast?" in the entire line.

Variants: None.

 

Overall Score: 9/10 (a major stand-out figure with a crazy look, using unique colors in place of a distinctive mould design)

Edited by Jabroniville, 09 August 2018 - 03:40 AM.

[Exactobeast]

Panda armor pops really really nicely with a touch of paint on the accents. 

[Jabroniville]

 

#34: DELTA CHAMELEON

Japanese Name: Green Chameles

Animal Basis:

 

 

-Delta Chameleon is a chameleon with a very small crest, meaning he's not one of the more famous kinds. He's likely a Common or Panther Chameleon, as they typically have small crests.

 

-Chameleons are rather common, and famous for their color-changing properties- an exceptionally-rare quality in a vertebrate. Their natural colors are better camouflage than their altered colors, however- their best stealth is done via their distinct "waving" walks, as they wobble back and forth while stalking their prey, in order to be seen as a simple, swaying leaf. Their color-changing is usually a function of display or emotion, as angry chameleons may turn brighter colors, while submissive ones turn darker. Other species use it for thermal regulation. Many chameleons use color as a social function to express emotion.

 

Toy Description: One of the "Gold Weapon" guys, Delta Chameleon is a bit less detailed than the other reptiles, who are prone to ostentacious horns, scales or other external things. He's rather "smooth" and plain by contrast, standing out more due to his day-glo yellow color scheme. He IS rather detailed, however, packing the smallest scales in the entire Battle Beasts line. They're simple diagonal troughs all over his body, but they really "pop", making him one of the cooler Beasts, in my opinion. Those giant red eyes, the biggest in the line, also "pop". Little half-spheres sit at the centres of his eyes, looking sideways.

 

A tiny bump on the back of his head seems to indicate his crest, though I was ready to say he was a "crestless chameleon" until I actually looked closely at his head, and realized he fit more of the Common or Panther Chameleon's silhouette. It's basically a small hump on the very back of the top of his head. He is expressionless, as reptiles tend to be, with a long "Kermit" mouth going all the way back to his eyeline, and tiny little nostrils above it. I can see a "C" on the back of his left boot, and a "34" on the right.

 

Colors: Three- his skin is a bright, almost neon yellow. His armor is a standard dark blue. His eyes and the vents on his armor are a bright red. This makes him one of the only Beasts to use all three Primary Colors.

Armor: A pretty generic set, with a two-piece armor. It utilizes a lot of large blocks, and clean lines. His back features a very large mechanical "backpack". His shoulders are raised, with long shapes aiming towards his chest, which has two huge, red vents beside his Chest Symbol. His shoulder pads are very round, with small raised lines around where his arms come out. One curved, two-faceted "horn" sticks out from each shoulder. His wrist-guards are very round, with large mechanical "blocks" placed randomly. The codpiece is rather short on details, but has some swooping lines on the front, leadings towards some more blocks.

 

The boots are large and simple, with four small "patches" on the back of each boot, with large trapezoidal kneepads.

Weapon: A pretty cool-looking golden "U" with a short handle. The "U" is bisected, with each end having swooping lines and ending in downwards-facing spikes.

Hands & Feet: Three-fingered hands, which actually have the distinctive TWO THUMBS of a real chameleon! Huh- I'd never noticed that before. The feet are the same- three toes in front; two in back.

Easily-Broken Bits: None, though the horns on the shoulder-pads probably suffer a bit of paint-wear.

Had it as a Kid: Yep- though he's lacking arms.

Variants: None.

 

Overall Score: 8/10 (a very cool, distinctive Beast, with great detailing on his skin and an eye-popping color scheme)

 

 

[ZebraLegion]

Keep it up!  I love looking forward to these. The Panda was always a favorite of mine.

[Jabroniville]

Keep it up!  I love looking forward to these. The Panda was always a favorite of mine.

Thanks! I'm bad at remembering to post these . I have a couple more finish so far, and I think 8-9 left to invent. Then I suppose I might have to do Laser Beasts or something, LOL.

[Jabroniville]

 

#34: KILLER CARP

Japanese Name: Killer Fish

Animal Basis:

 

 

-Killer Carp, which I always called "the piranha", appears to be a simple carp (though the Japanese just called him a "fish"). Carp are highly-valued "sport fishes" in Europe, as they are difficult to hook, put up a big fight, and can grow to great size. Unfortunately, they are an invasive species, notorious for wiping out local fish species. Carp are quite numerous in variety- both the famous Koi of Japan, and the classic easily-killed Goldfish that every kid owned, are types of carp.

 

Toy Description: One of the very earliest Beasts, I think Killer Carp is still one of the best. His distinctive silhouette, wide frame, striking color scheme (white and PINK?) and fearsome expression make him look as cool and bad-ass as any other one, and his weapon is among the most-recognizable in the series. And look at that face! This guy has one of the most complicated faces in the entire line- and so early! He has numerous "U-shaped" scales on the back of his head, which are replicated on his arms and legs, plus three triangular scales jutting down on his forehead. His eyes are deep and have a "menacing" slant to them, while he has a mouth with actual lips, plus numerous lines to represent his teeth (oddly, they are straight like baleen plates- not sharp like I always thought they were). Most distinctive is the prominent "head crest" that acts like a mohawk, with four spires and fins between them.

 

Honestly, I just like the color scheme- most of the pink Beasts actually look really cool, and most of the WHITE Beasts really draw the eye, so this bright pink & white guy is very eye-catching.

 

Colors: Three- his skin is pure white, while his armor and eyes are a very bright, "hot pink". His Secondary Color is yellow.

Armor: A very unique set that gives him a wide frame. It's a one-piece, sporting the Symbol in the belly region, with a front that resembles the hood of a sports car (complete with rectangular "headlights" with vertical lines down them). His head is bordered by two large missile-launchers with yellow missile heads within. His back is rather flat, with the Hasbro copywrite info on it, along with some lines. Most stand-outish is his crotch, which has a three-pronged crest, like the one on his head! It sticks straight forward on an arc, rounded out from a recession beneath his Symbol.

 

His shoulder pads are more like lined, rounded bits. His wrist-guards are large and cylindrical, sproting three-pronged "crests" like his head, but pink. His boots are very rounded, bulging out in the back (with very little detail), while the front have little recessions in the bottoms, along with some divots. 

 

Weapon: A very recognizable one- a large silver anchor with sharp "spearhead" points and hollowed-out bits in the middle. The handle is elongated, also ending in a spear.

Hands & Feet: Very plain mitten hands, but four-toed "finned" feet, splayed out with webs between the toes.

Easily-Broken Bits: None, even though white plastic is notorious for yellowing. He looks as if he's made out of different stuff than, say, the Zebra.

Had it as a Kid: Yep- but lacking arms, making him seem quite less impressive.

Variants: There is a "Plum Carp" with a slightly different armor color. Allegedly fairly rare, but I can barely tell the difference by looking at him- I once turned down a trade because even in pics, it looked just like mine. I've never seen one in person.

 

Overall Score: 9/10 (a very cool, distinctive Beast, with great details and a fascinating color scheme)

[Jabroniville]

 

#44: EAGER BEAVER

Japanese Name: Beavop

Animal Basis:

 

 

-Canada's national symbol, the Beaver. Gotta love a country that would pick THIS silly little industrious fellow as their icon, while their neighbor to the south picked the majestic (but lazy and fish-eating) Bald Eagle. Though ours actually has a recorded fatality of a human being: an adult beaver once bit through an artery on a man's ankle, resulting in fatal blood loss!

 

-Beavers are famously destructive to their environment, but help it in many other ways, damming dangerous rivers and preventing floods. Their teeth are capable of cutting down entire trees with shocking ease, they're highly-aquatic, and they're the best dam & lodge-builders in the entire animal kingdom (not that there's a large pool of nominees), building them carefully enough that there's only underwater entrances (so no land-based predator has a hope of getting in- and there's no aquatic predators that could fit AND challenge the Beaver). There's also a Eurasian variety that is usually bigger, but it's far less common and successful.

 

Toy Description: Eager Beaver is probably the plainest of the "late series" guys, having a pretty basic, simple color scheme in dull colors- light tan and brown with only tiny highlights. The fact that he has FIVE colors- tied for the most in the line- really doesn't make him stand out, either, as they're in small amounts. Except for the webbed toes, he really doesn't betray his species that well- his tail is particularly unconvincing, looking light and fuzzy, rather than the thick, hairless tail of a real beaver. His head is clearly rodent-like, though, and with a large amount of detail- his head is smooth to the point of resembling an otter's, but it has little "nub" ears, significant cheeks (complete with three whiskers on each side!), and even lines going down the side of the face to show the "underbelly", which extends down to his legs. The pronounced teeth, which contain the only white on the figure, really say "rodent".

 

He's not a bad figure by any means- his weapon is actually really good, and he's got plenty of detail. He just looks overly simple- like they weren't trying as hard when they made up this one. Compare him to the Mouse, for example- even though this guy has some really cool armor designs, they're kind of obscured by being so dark brown, and being on a plain figure.. His tail in particular just looks lazy.

 

His copywrite information is on his feet, and there's a peghole in his left foot.

 

Colors: Five- the highest number you can get in this line. His skin is a very light tan. His armor is a very glossy and rich dark brow, and has small pastel blue/green headlights. His eyes are blood red, and he sports a tiny little splash of white for his teeth.

Armor: Eager Beaver has a pretty standardized armor design, being full of smooth shapes and lines, in a two-piece set-up. His Chest Symbol is centralized, and surrounded by four diagonal strips of lights in a strange pastel blue/green color. The bottom two lines appear to be made up of square headlights (with some REALLY tiny paint details- consider that in this line, even stripes and spots go un-painted, and you'll see how unusual details like this are), while the top two are almost like fluorescent tubes. His upper armor is pretty simple and boxy, with a "backpack" of details obscured by his fuzzy tail. His codpiece is just a handful of lines, too. His shoulder pads are much more interesting, however, being very small by the line's standards, and ending in points that stick down his arms. There's an interesting "ball" design on top, complete with rims of square "lights" encircling each shoulder pad, mimicking the colored ones on the chest armor.

 

He has wrist-guards resembling bands of curtains- they're full of very smooth shapes. His boots are by far his most detailed feature- they have giant swooping shapes, large bands of square-lights going diagonally across the sides, vents sticking out the sides, and nice organic-looking rims at the edges.

 

Weapon: A very large bronze sword shaped like a saw-blade, with six "teeth" and a hilt shaped a bit like a tree branch. It's actually the most outstanding part of the figure.

Hands & Feet: Very plain three-fingered hands with fingernails. Five-toed feet, complete with significant webbing between the four front toes. All five toes have pointed nails, as well.

Easily-Broken Bits: None, though the light coloring is prone to smudging.

Had it as a Kid: I doubt it, though I might have had the weapon, so... maybe?

Variants: None known. 

 

Overall Score: 5.5/10 (I would have gone with a 4-5, but he actually has a lot more detail than you'd think just looking at him, and has a good weapon. He's just... unspectacular to the eye. It really holds him back)

[Jabroniville]

#31: JADED JAG
Japanese Name: Power Jaguar
Animal Basis:




-Here's a Jaguar, the more squat, thick cat than the Leopard, with larger and emptier rosettes. Boosting strength damage and toughness, Jaguars are mightier animals with incredible bite-force. Melanism is relatively common amongst Jaguars & Leopards, giving them an added advantage in areas of darkness (like, say, forests & jungles, where they live). Most other Big Cats only have rumored instances of it, and no photographic evidence of REAL black coats, so these guys are stand-outs. Unlike Leopards, Lions, Tigers & Cougars, there are very few accounts of Jaguar predation on humans- they are a much shier, more-hidden animal.

Toy Description: Jaded Jag is probably most famous in the line for his extremely distinctive "blue armor" variation- easily the most stand-out of the alternate color schemes. He's a big, solid Beast- the largest of the cat figures, with thick limbs and a large head. Very pale (a lighter tawny color), he sports rosettes all over his body, marking his species quite well- there are dozens of spots on him, some of which are little more than "lumps", while others have those distinct "ring" shapes. Only his belly and hands are bare. His head is covered in spots, and is quite detailed, giving him stout ears, a cat's nose, and a mouthful of teeth (most of which are just lines, though he has two tiny lower fangs).

The copywrite information is on both feet, and the left has a peg.

Colors: Four. His armor is a dark cherry-red, and his eyes blood red. His skin is a pale, tawny color (almost flesh-like, but more yellow). Two spots on his armor by his Chest Symbol are painted black.
Armor: A standard two-piece armor set-up. Jaded Jag's armor is very detailed, but typical for the line. His Chest Symbol is set rather low, falling diagonally downward, with two black mechanical components beside it. The shoulders are fairly simple and mostly bare (small triangles are seen on the front portion). His shoulder pads are large and curved, and sport smaller pads sticking down the arm, coming out of the larger pad. Each pad is "ringed" by a mechanical bit. His codpiece is pretty simple, and his back has a plain rectangle with some lines across it, though his shoulders sprout up and out a little bit, revealing some very detailed linework and "tiers". The wrist-guards are simple and a bit rounded, with some detailed "boxes" on the fronts. Each one is bisected with a large line. The boots are very large and organic- large kneepads have two tiers on them, ending in dots, while the boots have round "rims" going around the bottoms, and large, round, organic structures on each side.

His head has some small armor-bits- three squares combined into a line on each cheek, and a large "strip" on the top of his head- sonme lines on it, and an additional strip on top. His right boot has a "3" on my red one, and a "2" on my blue one.

Weapon: A long golden polearm, sporting a diamond-shaped spearhead on top. It has three distinctive "swooping" shapes coming off one side, mimicking tassles from some similar weapons (like the Japanese naginata). There's a large cylinder/circle beneath the spearhead, sporting his "31" Beast Number, and three rings circling the shaft immediately below. The pommel of the polearm features a long triangle with a triangle "indent" cut out the middle on each side, with a small bit sticking out at the base, and the bottom-most point having a line around it.
Hands & Feet: Four-fingered hands (with fingernails!), and three-toed feet, also with nails.
Easily-Broken Bits: None.
Had it as a Kid: One armless figure, in the red color scheme.
Variants: Popularly, it has the most distinctive "Alternate" color scheme in the line. While some are notable from a side-by-side standpoint, most you could miss if you weren't looking at the more common one. THIS guy? The alternate scheme has BLUE ARMOR instead of red. This gives him an entirely different look. The small bits on his armor, instead of black, are now a darker red- not matching his eyes. The blue version isn't quite SUPER-rare, but tends to go for higher. When I was dealing with that Mikesomething guy on eBay, he even offered me the blue version for the price of the red, but I was like "nah, I authentically like the red one even more". Annoyingly, I decided only months later to start collecting the "alternates", so I ended up having to buy a full-priced one anyway .

Overall Score: 8/10 (actually very solid, though I like the red, original version more. Having two makes for a popular Collector's Item of sorts. He's one of the better "typical" Beasts, having a solid look and a LOT of detail printed onto him.)

Edited by Jabroniville, 25 September 2018 - 07:56 PM.

[Exactobeast]

Agree that carp is fantastic. Beaver meh. His chest plate and the tail are the best parts. What’s funny about jaguar is how huge his arms are compared to the other 76. Only saber comes close

[Jabroniville]

 

#31: PILLAGING POLAR BEAR

Japanese Name: Polar Battlebear (METAL!)

Animal Basis:

 

 

-Not one of the more subtle ones, the dude is pretty clearly the one type of Polar Bear in the world. I mean, he even has the distinctive elongated head shape and white color, as well as the light blue armor indicating ice/arctic conditions.

 

Polar Bears are rivals with the Brown Bear for title of the largest bear- On average, they are MUCH bigger, and they hold the record for sheer size/length (11 feet versus 9'9"), but their heaviest specimens are lighter than the Kodiak, maxing out at seven-hundred pounds less. The lightest Polar Bears are heavier than the lightest Brown Bears, however. Polar Bears are a famous symbol of conservation and the Arctic as a whole; as an Apex Predator, they are spectacularly useful as a "pH test" for the health of the ecosystem. Images of scrawny, sickly Bears with dying cubs are as good a symbol of the whole environmental disaster going on up north as you're going to get (though, notably, the famous picture used to indicate "global warming" is actually a bear starving for other reasons). Despite the danger, they are still considered "Lower Risk".

 

Polar Bears are one of the cases of recent evolution- they are not far removed from Brown Bears at all, and can, in fact, breed with their ancestors just fine. It's likely that the brown bears moved northwards, with white mutations gaining prominence over time. The "white" fur is actually fairly transparent fiber that reflects light REALLY well- polar bear skin is also largely black.

 

Toy Description: Pillaging Polar Bear is one of the largest Beasts in terms of overall mass- along with the Horse and Bison he stands out as ENORMOUS compared to almost the entire rest of the line. He's actually quite broad for a Beast, but is notably MUCH taller, giving him a more slender look- the Octopus's shoulders fall below this guy's shoulder pads, and the top of the Rhino's head barely reaches the bottom of his helmet. He avoids looking skinny by having huge feet and boots, so his silhouette is still quite "beefy".

 

The toy is really, really nice-looking and very detailed- ice-blue armor on a white base says "arctic creature" better than any other color scheme in the line, and frankly it's a lovely contrast that has proven "Toyetic" over and over again (Disney would hit the financial windfall of the century by accidentally realizing this with a certain Ice Queen, as well). He's very "Standard Beast" in terms of armor and details- not more or less than much of the line. 

 

He has some pretty solid muscle definition in the thighs, and his face has some small details on it- lines above and below his eyes, a small nose, and a long & thin mouth, along with short pointy ears. His head, ears and body are quite sleek, as a real polar bear's would be. The copywrite information is on both feet, and the left has a peg.

 

Colors: Three-ish- white skin, light blue armor, and dark red eyes and secondary details. However, the different basecoats for the armor and face gives the impression of two kinds of red- a darker one for the armor (since it's not over bright white skin).

Armor: A standard two-piece armor set-up- it's very detailed, but standard-issue for the line. Another dead-center Chest Symbol, with two vents beside it, and two sets of twin "lights" beside those. These lights are inset to projected bits on the chest, which lead up to the shoulders, which feature "missile launchers" (also red-tipped). His back has two large organically-designed metal structures, and a central triangular prism thing with a little half-sphere sticking out at the bottom.

 

His codpiece is typical for the line, but very detailed, with lots of little lines, vents, and projections. His shoulder pads are trapezoidal, with the shapes replicated on front & back. His wrist-guards are very boxy, but have a TON of lines going around them. The boots are REALLY big, with large trapezoids on the sides, and a complex little structure on each front.

 

Unusually, he features a very long "helmet" that covers the entire top of his head, matching its sleek shape. The helmet is almost fighter-jet shaped (ending in a "nose-cone"-like thing), with a very flat helmet topped by a long projection. It also features "sideburn"-style sides that project downwards, then stick out towards his mouth. His left boot has a "3" on the back of it.

 

Weapon: A large, dark bronze arctic-looking axe. It's very smooth-shaped, with large, swooping edges, and a long polearm with a crooked "bend" near the bottom. Three organic-shaped little triangles point towards the point where the pole gives way to the axe (on both sides), and a line runs parallel to the long edge of the weapon.

 

Hands & Feet: Unsually, he has three-fingered hands (with large fingernails), and big, five-toed feet... with three toes in front, and two toes in back (??). That's... not an urside trait.

Easily-Broken Bits: None, though as a white-cast toy, expect some discoloration from the plastic occasionally.

Had it as a Kid: Yep- in good shape, too! 

Variants: None known.

 

Overall Score: 9/10 (one of my favorites as a kid, and as an adult. He just cuts a REALLY impressive figure!)

[Jabroniville]

Agree that carp is fantastic. Beaver meh. His chest plate and the tail are the best parts. What’s funny about jaguar is how huge his arms are compared to the other 76. Only saber comes close

Oh yeah- the Jag's arms are REALLY huge, and give him such a broad physique.

[Jabroniville]

 

#66: SLOWPOKE SLOTH

Japanese Name: Slo

Animal Basis:

 

 

Slowpoke Sloth is pretty easy to recognize, as this guy has THREE CLAWS, indicating that he is a three-toed sloth (either brown or pale-throated), as opposed to a two-toed sloth (who, naturally, has THREE toes, but only two CLAWS, but nobody thought to name them two-clawed sloths). Sloths, the only animal named for one of the seven deadly sins, are so named for their famously-slow movement rate. They are SO SLOW, in fact, that this is actually remarkably good camouflage- most predators are trained to spot movement, and sloths are hard to smell because THEY ARE SO SLOW THAT ALGAE GROWS ON THEM. Like, there's slow, and then there's SLOTH slow. Sloths have such a slow metabolism that they only need to poop once a week (which is when they are most vulnerable, as they have to be on the ground in order to do it). 

 

The two-toed and three-toed sloths are not that closely-related, having evolved independently of each other. But Sloth Evolution is very-poorly understood, with few specimens having been found. They've undergone a major renaissance in recent years, seemingly starting with Kristen Bell's love affair with the animals (her husband posted a video of her bawling her eyes out after he gave her a pet sloth). Now there's sloth-related documentaries, TV shows, etc.- it's one of the weirdest modern pop cultural phenomena based around an animal that has, until now, been rather disrespected and thought boring.

 

Sloths are famously related to the Megatherium, the Giant Ground Sloth. A titanic, elephant-sized creature with claws that were a few FEET long, and could have killed just about any animal in the Americas. 

 

Toy Description: Another of the most distinctive and unique Battle Beasts, Slowpoke Sloth is pretty easy to recognize. He's the only Beast in the line with arms like this- enormously-long, almost floor-length, scrawy arms with the distinctive claws that make the species pretty obvious. He also has a long, pointy snout, almost mole-like. His nose is actually SO LONG that it makes him a poor representative of the species, as Sloths have pretty short, blunt snouts. His tiny mouth doesn't have much character, appearing to be a small frown underneath the large nose with two tiny nostrils in it. Thank goodness for those giant arms.

 

The entire "skin" surface is furry save for a bald face- it's actually very well done, with long, swooping lines traveling up the limbs, reaching to the front of the head, and even short ones on the belly and back.

 

The sloth has a distinctive color scheme, too- lime green and bright orange, complete with orange EYES. His armor's a bit typical, but the huge orange chest area stands out. Like most of the "Purple Weapon" series, he's really very well done.

 

The copywrite information is on both feet, with a "66 A" and a peg on the left foot.

 

Colors: Four- beige fur/skin, lime green armor, bright orange secondary colors and eyes, and yellow claws on his hands.

Armor: A standard two-piece, but with some differences. The front, unusually, is almost entirely the secondary color, sporting a big, rounded block with the Chest Symbol in the middle, and some simple little shapes giving minor detail around it. The back has a full "backpack" structure, larger on top than on the bottom, with nothing at all on the shoulders. His shoulder pads are simple "vented" blocks, with lines going on multiple areas. His arms are almost entirely bare, save some tiny little metal boxes on the top of the palms- they have two circles coming out of a chamber, and a little box on top. 

 

The codpiece is normal, with a central box with vents on each side, and a little trapezoid thing on top. The sides have similar "missile things" as his wrists, two circles on top of each other. The back has a strange gap between two boxes, almost like there should be a small screen there. The boots are very boxy, with large flat structures on the front, and kneepads with spheres on the tips and little mechanical "fingers" going up onto the thighs. The backs flatten out quite a bit (acting as rear toes), with cylinders above that, and horizontal cylinders above those.

 

Weapon: A very long, purple spear with flares points coming off the bottom of the sharp implement, like little feathers, or wings. 

 

Hands & Feet: Very long, slong-like arms ending in three yellow claws (more detailed on his "Strange Hand" than on his left, which can grip things). Three simple, undetailed toes on his feet, too.

Easily-Broken Bits: The GIANT arms are basiaclly asking to be torn off- they're really long and very thin.

Had it as a Kid: Yep- armless, as usual.

Variants: None known, though one looks slightly more bright than the other in some pics.

 

Overall Score: 8/10 (I dig him)

 

 

Edited by Jabroniville, 15 November 2018 - 12:50 AM.

[ZebraLegion]

Yes! I love the information.  Who knew they pooped once a week and that is when they are most vulnerable?! Can't wait to drop that knowledge on somebody.  As for the BB, I had never seen this guy before a few years ago when I started recollecting.  I like the Sloth more and more every time I look at it.  As a matter of fact, there is one sitting on my desk at work right now.

 

Great work, as always, on the descriptions!

[Jabroniville]

Yes! I love the information.  Who knew they pooped once a week and that is when they are most vulnerable?! Can't wait to drop that knowledge on somebody.  As for the BB, I had never seen this guy before a few years ago when I started recollecting.  I like the Sloth more and more every time I look at it.  As a matter of fact, there is one sitting on my desk at work right now.

 

Great work, as always, on the descriptions!

Thanks ! I love doing this thread, but the occasional bout of forgetfulness or computer troubles often keeps me away. I had no idea I'd left this almost a month between updates! I feel kinda bad, since some people say they check the forums only to check out this thread!

[Jabroniville]

 

#75: PUGNACEOUS PENGUIN

Japanese Name: Peguinus

Animal Basis:

 

 

Well, he's obviously a penguin of some kind, but WHAT kind? The most famous kinds are Emperor & King Penguins, but this guy's head is colored differently. There's tons of Crested Penguins that obviously don't fit, either. His head colors actually look by far closest to the Magellanic Penguin, a small type known to exist around South America, occasionally hitting Brazil, New Zealand and other places. It's just as likely, of course, that the artist simply went for a "generic penguin", and wanted to make an interesting-looking face (Emperor Penguins have uniformly-black heads with yellow bits off to the side).

 

Penguins have always been well-known, but never more popular than when March of the Penguins was released- with Morgan Freeman's soulful narration, and a well-filmed documentation of their intense, arduous journey, Penguins instantly became enormously-popular. Most of all the Emperor Penguins- the largest of the Order. They're not really capable fighters (especially on land), but they move like bullets underwater. Emperors are about 3.5 feet tall and can weigh up to 90 lbs., but all of the others are far smaller. None are dangerous to anything but fish, really, helping give them a cute look. And no, they do not encounter polar bears- they are literally as far away as you can possibly be.

 

Penguins have become a popular attraction in zoos and aquariums for their sociability and cuteness, but actually make poor guests- they can catch diseases quickly, and generally utilize a lot of room- more than a simple aquarium can provide. The compact environment kind of squishes them in, compared to their normal life, in which only the famously-long "march" and subsequent "everyone cram together and try to block out the cold" formation results in such close confines. So, umm... except zoos featuring them to end up with a lot of dead birds on occasion.

 

Toy Description: By FAR the most odd-looking, unusual and unique Battle Beast is undoubtedly Pugnaceous Penguin, a character so distinctive in the line that you'd never think he was a Battle Beast at short glance. Even the Panda looks nowhere near as odd and off-kilter as this one does- his entire frame betrays the line's origins. Most Beasts are tall, long-armed, broad and round-headed. This guy is short, squat, long-bodied (80% of his body is taken up by torso and head!), thin-limbed, and has a skinny lil' head. NOTHING about him looks like a standard Beast, save the Chest Symbol located in the upper part of his very long trunk.

 

It's very obvious what he is, though- more than any Beast (even the ones based off of primates), his body type resembles that of his species- as a Penguin, he is an elongated, slender guy with a long, thin body, short limbs, and a black & white color scheme. In this case, his entire body on the front side is pure white, with a black mask covering his whole face, and sliding back to make his whole back black. This goes down to his tail, which is white in the front, and black on the rear. His legs are white, while his bird-like feet are black. His arms, instead of being black flippers, are extremely thin, white limbs, easily the weakest and smallest in the line.

 

His face is actually quite detailed- the penguin-like beak stands out, being rather straight and with a slight frown. Nostrils are located near the base of the beak. His eyes are expressionless and yellow, and surrounded by a line that encircles both the eyes and the beak in a single, unbroken indent. His "mask" is oddly-shaped, with a swooping line going out around the eyes, sinking in a bit after that, and then covering his chin, leaving curved white blotches, resembling that of the Magellanic Penguin.

 

The copywright information is on both feet, with a "75 A" and a peg on the left foot.

 

Colors: Five- tied for most in the line. His body is white on the front and black on the back. His armor is mostly blue, with a lighter blue on the front portion, and his Secondary Color is bright yellow.

Armor: One of the weirdest and most unique suits in the line- it's basically one piece, but features a HUGE expanse revealing the flat belly of the creature, as well as the back. It features a very narrow, light-blue strip across the front, containing the Chest Symbol and two sets of headlights, in pairs. The blue part is VERY flat and under-detailed compared to most Beasts, with even the back being pretty flat. It features two tube-like things on the back, however. Kind of like an undersea jetpack.

 

The huge belly expanse is bordered by two long, blue pieces which end in a tiny codpiece, bulging out around the crotch with an oddly-circular bit of business, with lines drawn across it. The tail sports a large blue bulge right above it, with a few mechanical lines.

 

His shoulder pads are very small, sporting long ribbed lines near the body, but VERY large, swooping "dorsal fins" that point up and out. The wrist guards are boxy and quite simple, with a few lines across them. The area around his neck is also very bare.

 

Weapon: A very long, purple spear (legitimately taller than the Beast itself- the only weapon in the line like this!) with four triangles at the top. The spear has three lines etched around the middle, and narrows near the base.

 

Hands & Feet: Very slender, long arms (though short for the line, I guess) ending in mitten-like hands, with long ribs along them (sort of like wrinkles). Broad, black feet ending in three toes in the front and one in the back, also ribbed, and sporting thick, broad toenails. Slight webbing is seen between the front toes.

Easily-Broken Bits: None, really, though old plastic tends to yellow with time, and the dorsal fin shoulder pads are probably doomed to always have some paint wear.

Had it as a Kid: Nope- I'd never even seen this until I was an adult, and I barely recognized it at first!

Variants: None known.

Overall Score: 8/10 (unimpressive-looking, but so distinctive you just have to give him a good score. VERY detailed, too)

 

 

[Jabroniville]

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that dude and his Penguin Army, which I totally blame for how this guy is ALWAYS the most expensive Regular Beast on eBay all the time. Damn guy cost me 35 bucks or something .

[Exactobeast]

Oh boy. You just called out the beastformers...

[Jabroniville]

Oh boy. You just called out the beastformers...

LOL, is that who it is? I just remember seeing that MASSIVE army of Penguins, and immediately going "... is THAT why I had to pay 35 bucks for mine?".

Because it's a well-known thing in this fandom and others that heightened desirability (ie. "demand") will cause the suppliers to artificially raise prices to match this new increased interest. It's simple economics .

[Jabroniville]

 

#43: CUTTHROAT CUTTLEFISH

Japanese Name: Cuttle Deep

Animal Basis:

 

 

Though I always called him "The Squid" when I was a boy, this guy is actually some kind of cuttlefish- another relative. Cuttlefish are cephalopods known for being very tiny (the largest weighs 23 lbs.), and having large "mantles" (ie. the head part) and very tiny arms and tentacles. Like squid, they have eight arms and two tentacles (the longer ones), a "rim" of fins around their mantles, and float about via shooting jets of water through their mantles. They are most well-known for their INCREDIBLY good color-changing skin- far more advanced than that of other creatures. They can alter the entire pattern of their skin in less than one second, and in far more complex patterns than chameleons or other creatures. This serves the purpose of camouflage, signalling (bright colors, etc.), or warning. Some cuttlefish are venomous.

 

Cutthroat Cuttlefish's precise species is impossible to determine, given he's bright white. He honestly resembles more a squid, since he has a larger body and his head ends in two large swimming fins, instead of the long, ribbony fins Cuttlefish use to swim. 

 

Toy Description: I'm pretty sure every child who owned one is honor-bound to tell you that the Cuttlefish (or "Squid") was their favorite one- this guys is INCREDIBLE, sporting one of the most awesome set-ups in the entire line. Details out the wazzoo, a unique species type, and several things you see nowhere else except on Octillon Octopus (whose primary flaw is that he's not as awesome as this guy- poor thing is overshadowed like crazy). Even his color scheme is great- inhuman-looking white with very dark grey armor. In short, this is the most detailed, unique-looking Beast in the entire line, save possibly the Penguin (who barely resembles a Beast at all).

 

The details on this thing are insane. First off, he's got the largest head in the line- a colossal, triangular mantle ending with the splayed-out fins of a squid. At the bottom are two gigantic, spherical yellow eyes, and a long snout ending in an "O"-shape. The head is quite smooth and featureless, save two layers of bulges around the eyes. Four small arms, each with four suckers at the tips, are draped across his shoulders. He also has four long arms, much like the Octopus has- sharing a "shoulder joint" with two splaying upwards, and two splaying downwards. Unusually, the tip of the top-arm on the left ends in a harpoon-like structure. The bottom arm on the left and the top arm on the right end in two sets of four suckers, set across from each other on the top of the limb. The bottom right arm ends in a "grip" to hold weapons. The arms all have slight indents to indicate muscles.

 

The legs have muscle indents on the front and sides, and end in elongated, pointy feet which ALSO have suckers, lining up four on each side, getting smaller as they reach the toe-tips. The copywrite info is on both feet, and the peg-hook is on the left foot.

 

Colors: Four. A white body and grey armor, with yellow eyes and red dots on his shoulder pieces.

Armor: A "one-piece" set of grey armor surrounds his torso, with a thin piece going down through the crotch up past the butt- this piece has a mechanical bit at the tip, has three ridges under than, and is then bare until it reaches the butt, where you get a little, lined box and three larger ridges. The back sports two large, cylindrical "vents" that stick out a ways. The front of the armor has a pronounced Chest Symbol sticking out quite a ways (almost looking like a TV screen or computer monitor). The draped arms obscure any detail on the front.

 

Each pair of arms has a little grey "socket" on the front and back- it's circular, with five bits sticking out- the top ones being the longest. Inside these are red circles. The boots are very smooth and organic-looking, with long, triangular "kneepads" pointing both up and down, with lines drawn across them. Swooping lines fit right where the feet stick out, and large, smooth-edged rectangles are on each side of the boots, connected by little round bits.

 

The top of his left arm ends in a long, grey harpoon with four edges, each lined with three tiny indents. 

 

Weapon: A long, bronze "spear", shaped a bit paddle-like, with a much larger top wedge. The bottom wedge is connected by a round staff/handle, which has a circle on two sides at its top, one of which has the Beast's number (43).

 

Hands & Feet: Four long arms splaying from mutual shoulders, one of which is a harpoon and another which has a "grip" socket to place the weapon. The feet are very long and pointy, with slightly less pointy bits in the back.

Easily-Broken Bits: None, though white plastic is often seen to yellow with age.

Had it as a Kid: Yep- my top-tier favorite of the entire line! He was even completely intact all these years later!

Variants: None known.

 

Overall Score: 10/10 (if there was ever gonna be a "10", this was it)